Indians, Pirates both win big

Associated Press

CINCINNATI

Greg Allen needed just two games in his latest tour with the Cleveland Indians to make a huge impact.

Recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Saturday for the third time this season, Allen homered and tripled among his career-high four hits and made a circus catch behind Trevor Bauer, who pitched seven solid innings, as the Cleveland Indians remained baseball’s hottest team with an 11-1 rout of the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.

“It wasn’t too bad,” said Allen, who made a leaping backhand catch of Jose Iglesias’s drive to the warning track in left-center field before bouncing into a bullpen fence in the second inning. “It was nice to get a win.”

“Boy, did he impact the game,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. “A great catch, four hits — it’s nice for the whole organization.”

Jake Bauers hit a two-run homer and Tyler Naquin and Jason Kipnis added solo shots, helping Cleveland to a season-high sixth straight win — the longest current streak in the majors.

The Indians’ tied their single-game season highs with 18 hits and nine extra-base hits while completing a two-game sweep in which they outscored the Reds by a combined 18-3

“It was just two games,” Reds manager David Bell said. “They were big games for us, but two games doesn’t take away what we did, which was give us a chance and set us up for the second half. What helps us is our ability to bounce back. The team that bounces back the best is the team that will win this division.”

Bauer (8-6) improved to 4-0 with a 2.90 earned-run average over his last six starts. He allowed one hit through the first four innings before Jose Peraza singled to lead off the fifth and scored on Josh VanMeter’s pinch-hit double. Bauer bounced back to slip called third strikes past the potential tying runs, Joey Votto and Eugenio Suarez.

Pirates-Brewers

PITTSBURGH

Red-hot rookie Bryan Reynolds hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Milwaukee Brewers 6-5 Sunday in their final game before the All-Star break.

The estimated 403-foot shot cleared the seats beyond the fence in right-center field and bounced toward the Allegheny River. Reynolds’ seventh homer of the season came after Kevin Kramer walked and Adam Frazier singled off reliever Junior Guerra (3-2).

Reynolds also hit an RBI double in the fifth and is batting .342 with a .950 OPS.

Brewers star Christian Yelich did not play and pulled out of Monday’s All-Star Home Run Derby with a back injury. It’s unclear if Yelich will still play in Tuesday’s All-Star Game.

Jesus Aguilar hit a two-run home run in the seventh off Pirates starter Joe Musgrove that tied the game at 3. It was his second home run of the game and eighth of season. He also hit a solo shot to left off Musgrove in the fifth.

Francisco Liriano relieved Musgrove and finished the seventh to improve to 3-1. Felipe Vazquez worked a four-out save, his 20th of the season.

Milwaukee rookie Keston Hiura hit a two-run homer in the eighth, also his seventh of the season.

Musgrove struck out five in six-plus innings, allowing five hits and three runs. His appearance was interrupted by a 40-minute rain delay in between the fifth and sixth innings.

He also contributed at the plate during a two-run second inning against starter Chase Anderson. Colin Moran tripled and scored on Kevin Newman’s single to right. Newman and Jacob Stallings perfectly executed a hit-and-run that left Newman at third for Musgrove, who put a squeeze bunt down the right side for his first career RBI.